Lil Yachty
Lil Yachty in 2016
Lil Yachty in 2016
Background information
Birth nameMiles Parks McCollum
Also known as
  • Lil Boat
  • FaZe Boat
  • Darnell Boat
  • C.V. Thomas
Born (1997-08-23) August 23, 1997
Mableton, Georgia, U.S.
OriginAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Discography
Years active2014–present
Labels
Children1
Websitelilyachtyofficial.com

Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night" from his debut EP Summer Songs.[3][4][5][6] He then released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year.[7]

Yachty has released five studio albums, beginning with Teenage Emotions in 2017. His second and third studio albums Lil Boat 2 and Nuthin' 2 Prove were released in 2018, followed by Lil Boat 3 in 2020. Yachty's fifth album, Let's Start Here (2023) marked a departure from his previous style and experimented with psychedelic rock, and was released to generally positive reception.[8] Four of his albums have charted within the top 20 of the Billboard 200, with Lil Boat 2 peaking at number 2. Lil Yachty is also notable for his features on the 2016 multi-platinum songs "Broccoli" by DRAM and "ISpy" by Kyle; as well as his cherry-red hairstyle, lighthearted tone, and optimistic image.[9][10] Yachty was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on "Broccoli".[11]

Early life

Miles McCollum was born in Mableton, Georgia.[12] He attended Alabama State University in fall 2015 but soon dropped out to pursue his musical career.[13] He adopted the name "Yachty" and moved from his hometown of Atlanta to New York City to launch his career. In New York, he lived with a friend and networked with online street fashion personalities, while he built up his own Instagram following.[14] He worked at McDonald's to supplement his income early in his career.[15]

Career

2015–2017: "One Night", Lil Boat, and Teenage Emotions

Yachty first came to prominence in December 2015 when the SoundCloud version of his song "One Night" was used in a viral comedy video.[1]

In February 2016, Yachty debuted as a model in Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion line at Madison Square Garden.[16] Yachty's debut mixtape Lil Boat was released in March 2016.[17]

In April 2016, Yachty collaborated with DRAM on the hit song "Broccoli", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] He featured on Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book mixtape, released in May 2016.[14] On June 10, 2016 he announced he had signed a joint venture record deal with Quality Control Music, Capitol Records, and Motown Records.[7][18] Yachty released his second mixtape Summer Songs 2 in July 2016 with features from G Herbo, Offset, and his former collective the "Sailing Team".[19]

In June 2016, Lil Yachty appeared in XXL magazine as part of their 2016 Freshman Class. As part of this appearance, Yachty performed a 'freshman cypher' alongside Denzel Curry, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and Kodak Black. As of March 2021, this cypher has received over 180 million YouTube views, by far the most for the XXL channel.[20]

In December 2016, he was featured on the hip hop single "iSpy" by Kyle.[21] He was featured in Tee Grizzley's single "From the D to the A", released in March 2017.[22]

On May 26, 2017, Lil Yachty released his debut studio album, Teenage Emotions. It features guest appearances from Migos, Diplo, and YG, among others.[23][24] Three promotional singles were released to coincide with the album. The first promotional single, "Harley", produced by K Swisha, was released on April 14, 2017.[25][26] The second promotional single, "Bring It Back", produced by Free School, was released on May 4, 2017.[27][28] The third promotional single, "X Men", produced by 30 Roc and Tillie and featuring a guest appearance from American rapper Evander Griiim, was released on May 18, 2017.[29][30] He featured in a remix of "With My Team" by Creek Boyz, released December 15, 2017.[31]

In 2017, Yachty appeared in several high-profile promotional campaigns. He starred alongside LeBron James in a Sprite commercial, where he is seen in an ice cave playing the piano.[32] Lil Yachty was picked to be the face of the new Nautica and Urban Outfitters collection for the Spring 2017 season.[33] Yachty also appeared in the "It Takes Two" video with Carly Rae Jepsen for Target.[34]

2018–2022: Lil Boat 2, Nuthin' 2 Prove, and Lil Boat 3

Lil Yachty performing in 2018

In January 2018, it was reported that Lil Yachty and Takeoff were working on a collaborative project.[35] This project has yet to be released as of 2023, especially following the death of Takeoff in November 2022. Yachty's second studio album, Lil Boat 2, was released on March 9, 2018.[36] Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Lil Boat 2 performed well commercially, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200, with 64,000 album-equivalent units. The album featured 2 Chainz, Quavo, and Offset, Ugly God, among other guests. On October 19, 2018, Yachty released his third album, Nuthin' 2 Prove. The project received similarly mixed reception and debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Also in 2018, Yachty appeared on Bhad Bhabie's platinum single "Gucci Flip Flops" and Social House's gold single "Magic in the Hamptons", and worked with Donny Osmond to create a theme song for Chef Boyardee titled "Start the Par-dee".[37] In December 2018, E-sports group FaZe Clan announced that Yachty had become their newest member. Yachty took on the name "FaZe Boat", in reference to his 'Lil Boat' nickname and mixtape.[38]

After a relatively quiet 2019, Lil Yachty teamed up with fellow Atlanta artists Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, and veteran producer Zaytoven in February 2020 for a collaborative mixtape, A-Team.[39] Yachty released the lead single for his next studio album, Lil Boat 3, on March 9, 2020. The song, titled "Oprah's Bank Account", features Drake and DaBaby.[40][41] The release was accompanied by a 9-minute music video directed by Director X, in which Yachty dresses up as a parody of Oprah Winfrey.[42] Lil Boat 3 was released on May 29, 2020 and debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200.[43] A deluxe version of the album titled Lil Boat 3.5 was released on November 27.[44] On October 19, 2020, Lil Yachty announced his intention to release a mixtape before the end of 2020.[45] Michigan Boy Boat was released on April 23, 2021. The project draws heavily from the burgeoning Detroit rap scene, in contrast with Yachty's usual pop rap and Atlanta trap style.[46]

Throughout 2020, Yachty was one of the many celebrities to gain a large following on social media app TikTok.[47][48] Yachty performed the theme song for the 2020 revival of Saved by the Bell, which was a remixed version of the theme from the original television series.[49] In early 2021, Yachty was reported to be producing and starring in a live-action movie based on the UNO card game, which is being developed by Mattel Films.[50] Yachty is featured in the Pokémon 25th anniversary music album.[51]

On October 11, 2022, Yachty released the non-album single "Poland", which had recently went viral online.[52]

2023–present: Let's Start Here

In December 2022, Yachty's fifth studio album, then rumored to be called Sonic Ranch, was leaked online. The album was a departure from Yachty's signature trap sound, and was instead heavily influenced by psychedelic rock. On January 27, 2023, the album, entitled Let's Start Here, was released to positive reviews.[53]

Musical style

Lil Yachty has called his style "bubblegum trap."[14][1] His songs have sampled sounds from Mario Bros., Charlie Brown, the theme from Rugrats, the startup sound of a GameCube console, as well as J-pop singer Daoko.[14] Other themes in his works include clouds, cotton candy, the Super Nintendo, and scenes from Pixar films. His friend TheGoodPerry is heavily involved in the production of his songs.[1] Yachty's style has also been described as mumble rap.[2]

Rolling Stone described his music as "catchy, intentionally dinky-sounding tunes packed with off-color boasts delivered in a proudly amateurish singsong."[14] The Guardian called his music "fun, hook-first pop rap oblivious to songcraft and structure that doesn't take itself too seriously, with very little interest in legacy and even less in rap canon."[1]

Personal life

In a 2016 interview for CNN, Yachty expressed support for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election, and praised Sanders for his work during the civil rights movement.[54]

On October 20, 2021, Yachty announced the birth of his first child, a girl. The identity of the child's mother was not disclosed.[55]

On December 20, 2018, Yachty signed with FaZe Clan.[56] Yachty participated in competitive Fortnite tournaments.

2022 SafeMoon lawsuit

On February 18, 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon that alleged the company is a pump-and-dump scheme, McCollum was named as a defendant along with professional boxer Jake Paul, musician Nick Carter, rapper Soulja Boy, and social media personality Ben Phillips for promoting the SafeMoon token on their social media accounts with misleading information.[57][58] On the same day, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.[59]

2023 SEC lawsuit

In March 2023, Yachty was among eight celebrities charged by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, with violating investor protection laws by promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosing that he was a paid sponsor. The lawsuit was connected with crypto asset entrepreneur Justin Sun's Tronix (TRX) and BitTorrent (BBT) companies. He settled the charges for over $400,000 without admitting or denying the claims.[60][61]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
2018 Teen Titans Go! To the Movies Green Lantern Voice role[62]
2018 Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve The Beatboxer [63]
2019 Long Shot Himself
2019 How High 2 Roger Silas Television film[64]
2021 A Man Named Scott Himself Documentary
2022 The System (2022 film) Joker Also Executive Producer
2023 Grown-ish Cole Hudson Recurring

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

Billboard Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 "Broccoli" (with DRAM) Top Rap Collaboration Nominated
Top Rap Song Nominated
Top Streaming Song (Audio) Nominated

MTV Video Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 "Broccoli" (with DRAM) Best Hip Hop Video Nominated
Best Collaboration Nominated
"iSpy" (with Kyle) Best Visual Effects Nominated

Other awards

YearAwardsCategoryNominated workResult
2017 Grammy Awards[65] Best Rap/Sung Collaboration "Broccoli" (with DRAM) Nominated
iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards Best New International Artist Himself Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards Best Video "iSpy" (with Kyle) Nominated
2022 Grammy Awards Album of the Year Donda (as a featured artist) Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pearce, Sheldon (November 30, 2016). "From Lil Yachty to DRAM, 2016's best hip-hop is all about black joy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Charity, Justin (April 18, 2017). "Declaring a Moratorium on the Term "Mumble Rap"". The Ringer. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Post-Internet Worlds of Atlanta Rappers Lil Yachty and Playboi Carti". MTV. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (February 28, 2016). "Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, Oddball Rap's Children, at Play". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Lil Yachty Lil Boat". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Meet Lil Yachty, The Atlanta Rapper Born To Go Viral". The Fader. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Hernandez, Victoria (June 10, 2016). "Lil Yachty signs deal with Quality Control". Hiphopdx.com. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Lil Yachty's 'Let's Start Here' Features An MGMT Member & Other Psych-Rock Acts". UPROXX. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ "On Teenage Emotions, Lil Yachty Tries to Stay Positive". May 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ Ihaza, Jeff (June 15, 2021). "Rapper and Entrepreneur Lil Yachty -- Future 25". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Madden, Sidney (August 23, 2016). "Happy Birthday, Lil Yachty!". XXL. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  13. ↑ J., Miranda (August 31, 2016). "9 Rappers Who Went to College But Didn't Graduate". XXL. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Weiner, Jonah (November 9, 2016). "How Lil Yachty Went From Instagram Whiz to Kanye West Collaborator". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  15. ↑ Greene, Andy (June 20, 2017). "Lil Yachty on His Favorite Beatles Song, Why He's Never Been Drunk". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Rapper debuted 'The Life of Pablo' and Yeezy Season 3 fashion line at Madison Square Garden". Rolling Stone. February 12, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (March 10, 2016). "Lil Yachty "Lil Boat" Mixtape Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  18. ↑ fashionablyearly (June 14, 2016). "Lil Yachty Signs With Capitol Records". Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  19. ↑ Rappaport, Ben (July 20, 2016). "Lil Yachty Drops New Mixtape, 'Summer Songs 2′". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty & Denzel Curry's 2016 XXL Freshmen Cypher, archived from the original on November 11, 2021, retrieved June 17, 2021
  21. ↑ Gooden, Darren (December 2, 2016). "KYLE - "iSpy" ft. Lil Yachty". Artistic Manifesto. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  22. ↑ Low, Carver (March 17, 2017). "Tee Grizzley - From The D To The A Feat. Lil Yachty | Stream [New Song]". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Lil Yachty Reveals 'Teenage Emotions' Album Tracklist and Official Cover". XXL. April 20, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  24. ↑ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (April 20, 2017). "Lil Yachty Announces Release Date For Debut Album, Teenage Emotions". The Fader. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Harley – Single by Lil Yachty". Apple Music. April 14, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ↑ Goddard, Kevin (April 14, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Harley". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  27. ↑ Findlay, Mitch (May 4, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Bring It Back". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  28. ↑ Weinstein, Max (May 4, 2017). "Lil Yachty Drops His New Song "Bring It Back"". XXL. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  29. ↑ Carey, Jonathan (May 18, 2017). "Lil Yachty – X Men Feat. Evander Griiim". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  30. ↑ Berry, Peter A. (May 18, 2017). "Lil Yachty Flexes on New Song "X Men"". XXL. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  31. ↑ Burney, Lawrence (December 14, 2017). "The Creek Boyz Recruited Lil Yachty For A New Version of "With My Team"". Noisey. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Lil Yachty and LeBron James Team for Sprite Commercial: Watch". Billboard. October 13, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Lil Yachty Nautica Meet and Greet at Space Ninety 8". UO Blog.
  34. ↑ "Watch Carly Rae Jepsen and Lil Yachty Cover 'It Takes Two' in Target Ad". Pitchfork. February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Lil Yachty and Takeoff Have a Joint Project Coming Soon". XXL. January 21, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  36. ↑ Maicki, Salvatore (February 20, 2018). "Lil Yachty announces "Lil Boat 2" release date". The Fader. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Lil Yachty on his bizarre Chef Boyardee jingle with Donny Osmond: 'This is very odd'". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Lil Yachty joins FaZe Clan, the Supreme of e-sports". The Verge. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  39. ↑ Mahadevan, Tara. "Zaytoven Drops Collaborative Project 'A-Team' With Lil Yachty, Lil Keed, and Lil Gotit". Complex. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  40. ↑ Moreland, Quinn (March 9, 2020). "Drake Joins Lil Yachty on New Song 'Oprah's Bank Account': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  41. ↑ Zidel, Alex (March 10, 2020). "Lil Yachty Announces "Lil Boat 3"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Lil Yachty Drops 'Oprah's Bank Account' Video with Drake & DaBaby | Rap-Up". www.rap-up.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  43. ↑ Johnson, Zoe (May 20, 2020). "Lil Yachty to Drop Lil Boat 3 Album Next Week". XXL. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  44. ↑ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (November 27, 2020). "Lil Yachty Shares New Album Lil Boat 3.5". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  45. ↑ @lilyachty (October 19, 2020). "Dropping a mixtape called " Michigan Boy Boy " before the year ends..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  46. ↑ "Lil Yachty: Michigan Boy Boat". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  47. ↑ King, Ashley (December 22, 2020). "Lil Yachty Hosting TikTok New Years Eve Countdown – Where to Watch It". Digital Music News. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  48. ↑ "TikTok (And Lil Yachty) Made Me Buy The Revolution Toaster on Amazon". domino. September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  49. ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 18, 2020). "Peacock's 'Saved By The Bell' Touts Remixed Theme Song From Lil Yachty". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  50. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2021). "Mattel Developing Movie Based On Uno Card Game With Lil Yachty Eyeing Lead Role". Deadline. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  51. ↑ Dwyer, Theo (September 15, 2021). "Rapper Lil Yachty Joins Pokémon's 25th Anniversary Celebration". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  52. ↑ Mwachia, Tim (October 20, 2022). "Lil Yachty Explains Poland". Daily Rap. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  53. ↑ Breihan, Tom (January 27, 2023). "Lil Yachty's New Album Let's Start Here. Is A Wild Psychedelic Rock Odyssey". Stereogum. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Lil Yachty on getting into Bernie Sanders via Lil B". CNN. April 24, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  55. ↑ Moorwood, Victoria (October 20, 2021). "Lil Yachty reportedly welcomes baby girl". REVOLT. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  56. ↑ Yachty, Lil (December 18, 2018). "Lil Yachty joins FaZe Clan, the Supreme of e-sports". The Verge. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  57. ↑ Germain, Atahabih (February 24, 2022). "Soulja Boy and Lil Yachty Named in Suit Accused of Misleading Crypto Buyers in 'Pump and Dump' Scheme". Atlanta Black Star. Diamond Diaspora Media. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  58. ↑ Cole, Ty (February 24, 2022). "Soulja Boy and Lil Yachty Faces Class-Action Lawsuit In Alleged Cryptocurrency Scheme". BET. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  59. ↑ Lawler, Richard (February 18, 2022). "Influencers beware: promoting the wrong crypto could mean facing a class-action lawsuit". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  60. ↑ Mueller, Julia (March 22, 2023). "SEC charges Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul with crypto violations". The Hill. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  61. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (March 22, 2023). "Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Lil Yachty Among Celebrities Charged In SEC Crypto Case". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  62. ↑ "Lil Yachty Tapped to Voice Green Lantern in Upcoming 'Teen Titans GO!' Movie". Billboard. March 12, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  63. ↑ "'Life Size 2' Was Cringey, But the Live Tweets Were Hilarious". Vice Media. December 4, 2018.
  64. ↑ Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2019). "'How High 2': Mike Epps To Reprise Baby Powder Role In MTV Sequel; Premiere Date Set". Deadline Hollywood.
  65. ↑ "Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys". Billboard. December 6, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
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